Television

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Manafort's fate in the hands of the jury

Paul Manafort's fate -- and possibly the future of special
counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016
election -- is now in the hands of 12 men and women from Northern Virginia, reported CNN.

For the first time, jurors will see pictures of the $15,000
ostrich jacket, $18,000 python jacket, and other high-end
clothes Manafort purchased using foreign wire transfers. They will
also debate the testimony of Rick Gates, Manafort's former deputy who admitted
to embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars. And they can pour over reams of
emails, tax forms and financial documents that prosecutors say are the
"star witness" in their case.

But the courtroom drama will be nothing compared to the
political earthquake the verdict will bring, regardless of which way it comes
down.

The President has repeatedly called Mueller's investigation
a "witch hunt" that hasn't found evidence of Russian collusion with
his campaign, and Trump's allies in and out of the White House say the special
counsel should wrap things up.

About Matt

An analysis of crime and punishment from the perspective of a former prosecutor and current criminal justice practitioner.
The views expressed on this blog are solely those of the author and do not reflect the opinions or postions of any county, state or federal agency.